1. Set Your Lighting Schedule!
Timing your indoor and outdoor lights can be a game changer when it comes to home security! With a Smart Home Solutions home security system, you are able to set your lights to come on when it gets dark out and keep them on a set schedule every day. Plus, you can control indoor and outdoor lights from your smartphone no matter where you are. Having home lights on gives the appearance you are home even when you aren’t, preventing possible burglaries. It gets dark out much earlier in the wintertime, so it’s important to remember to set your lights to come on as soon as the sun starts to go down!
2. Keep Up With Home Appearance
It can be tough to keep up with home appearance in the cold winter months, but it is an important security measure that can help protect your home from theft! Burglars often target houses that look like they are not currently occupied in the winter months, or where individuals/families have left for the winter or winter vacation. By taking care of the outside of your home including seasonal decorations, leaf removal, lawn care, and other outdoor home maintenance, your home is less likely to be a target. Plus, with a Smart Home Solutions outdoor security camera, you can always keep an eye on the appearance of your outside areas.
3. Ensure Access Points Are Well-Lit
While you may have floodlights outside of your home, it is extra important where you put your outdoor lights. It is essential to place your outdoor lights in strategic areas, such as common access points like front and back doors, garage doors, sliding doors, and anywhere else a burglar may attempt to enter your home. Plus, these lights should be motion sensor lights to help ensure awareness of any possible home invader and thwart any attempt of entrance to your home.
4. Make Sure Windows Are Locked
It may seem obvious, but in the winter time you are not often opening and closing your windows, so it may have been a long time since you last checked if your windows are locked or unlocked. In the winter, make it a point to double-check that all of your windows are locked and that there is no chance of a burglar using an unlocked window to gain entry to your home. Did you know that 12% of burglaries are due to an unlocked window? Something as simple as locking them will cut down on that chance dramatically! Smart Home Solutions also has window monitors and glass-breaking sensors that will trigger the alarm should one of them open.
5. Check Your Smoke/CO Alarms
This one isn’t related to burglaries, but it is important in the wintertime to make sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. If your home is heated by gas, it is vital that you have a CO alarm to assure there are no carbon monoxide leaks which can be fatal if unknown. In addition, space heaters are often used in the winter to keep certain rooms warm, however, this can lead to accidental fires. Gas fireplaces are also a source of common leaks. Ensure your alarms are working and will protect your home and your family. With Smart Home Solutions, you can purchase a package with both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that will keep you safe!